Back to back movies after a really long time and I had no clue about what was in store for me when I walked in to watch Contagion. My super hectic schedules ensured that I had not seen even the hint of a poster and had no idea about the “Power-Packed” cast that was waiting for me. Starting with Beth Emhoff (Gwenyth Paltrow) who is somewhere in Hong Kong apparently having a super duper time in the casinos. But little does she know that she is going to live for only the next 48 hours. She comes back to her home in Minnesota and her husband Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon) – only to collapse in a heap like an epileptic would but for no apparent reason. The only thing worrisome was the high fever she had by the time she got back home from Hong Kong. She is rushed to the hospital but survives only for a few minutes more before the docs give up. They request for an autopsy so that they can find what actually happened.
Meanwhile, several such cases are being reported across the globe for the same kind of illness. A Japanese businessman on his way home. A girl in London. A waiter from a casino in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Someone in San Francisco. And the chain reaction has just about started. In what seems to be an Outbreak (Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo) kind of movie, Steven Soderbergh uses the power of his star cast to weave a story line that is littered with exceptionally heavy medical terms. Most of which go flying past you like a jet plane would. But the star cast does manage to hold the movie together for what its worth. Ignore the unpronounceable and you can watch Contagion purely on the merit of performances. Matt Damon has the biggest role other than Laurence Fishburne and both get out the intensity of their characters beautifully. Damon is in the role of a father whose only objective is to save his daughter after the loss of his wife and son to the “Contagion”. Fishburne plays the role of a committed doctor at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and is torn between a commitment to his role and that towards his wife to be. And then there is probably the most beautiful woman in Hollywood today – the ethereal and immensely talented Marion Cotillard in the role of a French doctor who is kidnapped and develops a case of Stockholm Syndrome. Jude Law as the over obsesses blogger is also very good. And Kate Winslet – what can I say – effortless is the word that always comes to mind. Superb all round performances in short.
Cannot say the same thing about Soderbergh though. For a director as superb as Soderbergh, he is unable to hold the movie together. The trademark cinematography, music and cuts are conspicuously missing for no apparent reason. The story seems to meander around endlessly around some random population figures across unrelated cities. Soderbergh is unable to build the suspense factor too well – another talent that he has always had but seems to have suddenly taken a leave of absence. Also, the fact that there are too many stories within a story doesn’t help. Worth a dekko for certain but don’t expect too much. 6 on 10 is what I would give.
The trailer can be viewed on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3924270105/
Meanwhile, several such cases are being reported across the globe for the same kind of illness. A Japanese businessman on his way home. A girl in London. A waiter from a casino in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Someone in San Francisco. And the chain reaction has just about started. In what seems to be an Outbreak (Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo) kind of movie, Steven Soderbergh uses the power of his star cast to weave a story line that is littered with exceptionally heavy medical terms. Most of which go flying past you like a jet plane would. But the star cast does manage to hold the movie together for what its worth. Ignore the unpronounceable and you can watch Contagion purely on the merit of performances. Matt Damon has the biggest role other than Laurence Fishburne and both get out the intensity of their characters beautifully. Damon is in the role of a father whose only objective is to save his daughter after the loss of his wife and son to the “Contagion”. Fishburne plays the role of a committed doctor at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and is torn between a commitment to his role and that towards his wife to be. And then there is probably the most beautiful woman in Hollywood today – the ethereal and immensely talented Marion Cotillard in the role of a French doctor who is kidnapped and develops a case of Stockholm Syndrome. Jude Law as the over obsesses blogger is also very good. And Kate Winslet – what can I say – effortless is the word that always comes to mind. Superb all round performances in short.
Cannot say the same thing about Soderbergh though. For a director as superb as Soderbergh, he is unable to hold the movie together. The trademark cinematography, music and cuts are conspicuously missing for no apparent reason. The story seems to meander around endlessly around some random population figures across unrelated cities. Soderbergh is unable to build the suspense factor too well – another talent that he has always had but seems to have suddenly taken a leave of absence. Also, the fact that there are too many stories within a story doesn’t help. Worth a dekko for certain but don’t expect too much. 6 on 10 is what I would give.
The trailer can be viewed on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3924270105/
No comments:
Post a Comment